Rébecca Picard-Courtois contributes to the OIQ’s Guide de pratique professionnelle

Rébecca Picard-Courtois has contributed her expertise to the Guide de pratique professionnelle of the Ordre des ingénieurs du Québec (OIQ), an essential reference document for all engineers (available in French only). This guide brings together all the information you need to practice engineering, whatever your field of practice or level of experience.

Here is a summary of her contribution, which offers strategies to anticipate and effectively manage contractual changes, thereby strengthening best practices in engineering.

Preventing and managing contractual changes

Contractual changes are sometimes unavoidable, but it’s best to anticipate them right from the planning stage. Here are some ways of limiting such changes:

1. Invest time upstream in project planning and design.
2. Analyze risks to anticipate and avoid situations that could lead to changes.
3. Use collaborative design tools to identify and resolve issues at an early stage.

If contractual change becomes unavoidable, here are the key steps to managing it effectively:

1. Refer to the original contract.
2. Consult relevant stakeholders.
3. Identify potential impacts.
4. Inform the customer and obtain the necessary approvals.
5. Documents and formalize the change.

To find out more about change management and good engineering practice, consult the OIQ Professional Practice Guide (French only) on the Ordre des ingénieurs du Québec website.